El Rall

Good local food, decent house wine and a friendly welcome. We especially liked the Esgarrat. In a small quiet square not far from the Central Market and the Cathedral

I gave it 1 star because the food we ordered was okay but the service was terrible and would not warrant even 1 star. We stumbled upon this place and asked for a table for 3. We waited about 15 minutes which was fine but as soon as we sat down and were given the menu were asked to order. The waiter refused to speak English, went on in Spanish which sounded to me either we order now or we have to get out. So frantically we ordered chicken wings and mussels, which were okay but not great. The servers were rude and acted almost like they are so annoyed by us tourists. The 2 Spanish-speaking ladies sitting next to us, however, seem to be treated normally. I'm very surprised because this place is situated right in the heart of tourist attractions so one would think they'd be more welcoming. I am normally a good tipper but in this case I was reluctant to leave a tip.

Had a pleasant experience at this restaurant! Stumbled upon it during the siesta on a weekend, and despite the long wait due to a bustling crowd, the food, especially the paella and rice with vegetables and fish, was ok. The staff’s friendliness added to the positive atmosphere. Though slightly overpriced, the overall experience made it worthwhile.

Overall: an acceptable experience. It was chilly, I folded my coat and placed it on a chair before sitting down outside. No one noticed that. Later on, I saw customers had been provided blankets. I ordered canellonnes and a glass of wine. In terms of cooking, lovely service. I asked for my bill, in cash. 17.50. I gave a 20 euro bill plus 2.50 euros. I was returned 2.5 euros. To sum up: attention to customers plus honesty.

It's strange to see such polarized reviews. I didn't have any high expectations, we ended up in this reastaurant by chance as we were hungry and the place we came to have lunch in nearby was closed. We were pleasantly surprised by the food - it was the best seafood paella I've eaten in Valencia and the Sangria was great, too - proper wine, a lot of fruits and water without gas - it was truely perfect.
The service was not great, but wasn't that terrible as depicted - it was ok. They spoke English and we didn't have any issues paying by card. They added 5 euro for 2 beers that we haven't ordered to our bill, but when we pointed this out, they returned those 5 euros to us.
I'd go again for the food and Sangria though - they were worth it :)

This place was a great find in the heart of Valencia! The seafood paella was amazing and my partner and I cleaned everything up. The service was so friendly and made our last night in Valencia very memorable with yummy tasting food. 10/10 recommend!!!

After lunch we really wanted crema catalana, the Spanish dessert similar to crème brûlée. Debates will rage on as to which is better but I love them both. So s quick Google search of who had the crema catalana and we were off to El Rall. It’s just a few minutes from either the cathedral or the central market.

At first they wanted to only seat us if we were having lunch but that was easily resolved. And I’m glad. This was maybe the best crema catalana I have ever eaten. Good coffee to go along with it and friendly waiters.

Jan 17 update: we went back today with friends who were in town and did the full lunch. Excellent paella, especially the Valenciana which had lots of socorrat which we enjoy. And again, great service from Matej !

A must visit for crema catalana in Valencia. And their paella didn’t look bad either!